
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo
President Zelenskiy Aims for Second Peace Summit with Russian Participation
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Monday his intention to have a comprehensive plan ready by November to facilitate a second international summit focused on peace in Ukraine. Zelenskiy emphasized that representatives from Russia should attend this upcoming summit.
The first summit, held in Switzerland last month, saw the participation of delegations from 92 countries and sought to advance Ukraine’s peace blueprint. However, Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was not invited and dismissed the summit as unproductive. “I set a goal that in November we would have a fully ready plan,” Zelenskiy stated at a press conference in Kyiv. “I think that representatives of Russia should be at the second summit.”
These remarks followed Zelenskiy’s return from a NATO summit in Washington. During the summit, U.S. officials, including State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, discussed potential diplomatic negotiations with Zelenskiy. Miller reiterated that decisions on peace talks are for Ukraine to make. “We’ve always supported diplomacy when Ukraine is ready, but it has never been clear that the Kremlin is ready for actual diplomacy,” Miller noted at a press briefing.
Previously, Ukrainian officials had indicated the possibility of inviting Russian representatives to a subsequent summit. However, a Russian deputy foreign minister recently stated that Moscow would not attend, while the Kremlin remained non-committal, citing a lack of “precise substance” regarding the second summit’s concept.
The inaugural summit covered three of the ten points outlined in Zelenskiy’s peace “formula,” focusing on food security, nuclear safety, and the release of prisoners of war and children. Ukrainian officials have indicated that the second summit would be organized around a pre-planned agenda developed by multiple countries divided into working groups.
Zelenskiy mentioned that officials might convene in Qatar at the end of July or early August to formulate a position on energy security. Meetings on food security and the issue of prisoners of war and children are anticipated in Turkey in August and Canada in September, respectively.
Ongoing Conflict and Military Needs
On the battlefield, Russian forces have been advancing in the east, leveraging their superiority in troop numbers and equipment. Ukraine, meanwhile, has bolstered its defenses with Western arms deliveries and is expected to soon receive its first batch of F-16 fighter jets from allies. Zelenskiy stated that some of these jets would arrive this summer, with more expected by the end of the year, but he did not specify the exact number.
“There will not be enough. They will certainly strengthen us, but will there be enough of them to fight at a level with the Russian air force? I think they will not be enough. We are anticipating a larger quantity,” Zelenskiy informed reporters.
Ukraine has indicated it requires at least 128 F-16s and has increased its efforts to mobilize more civilians into the armed forces. Zelenskiy noted that military officials assured him that “everything is going according to plan,” but acknowledged a need for expanded training facilities. “Regarding training facilities, there are not enough,” he said. “They are currently being enlarged.”
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